Tyranny of Steel

Honoria sat within the confines of the King's office within the Royal Palace. The byzantine princess rested her chin on her palm, with her legs crossed as she gazed across the desk to see the handsome visage of her husband, the king of Austria. 

She was visiting the man as he was hard at work to report some information she had received from her family that she believed to be of dire importance to the national security of her husband's kingdom. 

"Palladius says that Decentius has found the book you gifted to my father and copied its contents. Supposedly, he is responsible for its leak to the papacy. I'm curious how you intend to respond to these actions."

Berengar merely smirked as he heard these words. In his hands was a golden letter opener, which he was twirling on the top of his desk. He responded to his third wife with a coy tone in his voice.

"Oh, I am well aware that your brother is responsible for leaking my technology, however any further attack on his being would be considered an act of aggression and I would rather avoid conflict with your family. 

There are other ways to deal with his insolence, and trust me, the leaking of agricultural technology is not as big as a threat as you might believe it to be. It will still be years before my enemies are able to fully implement such technology, and by then our people will have a serious advantage in agriculture that they won't have."

Honoria was surprised to hear this remark. She thought for sure Berengar would be more concerned. Just what technology had he invented now that was such a huge invented? She could not help but ask.

"What exactly would that be?"

Berengar smiled as he raised two fingers in response to his wife's question.

"Firstly, there are the potatoes you brought back from the New World. You may not know thus, but after some thorough research by our botanists, this wonder food is a hardy vegetable that has excellent nutritional value. Should we grow potatoes en masse, and use it as our staple crop, it will have serious health benefits to our people. As for the second reason, there is another technological innovation that I have drafted."

After saying this, the Austrian King pulled out a diagram of a steam powered tractor and began to explain its use to the Byzantine Princess.

"This device will replace the need for horses in the fields. It can be used for many agricultural purposes, including the pulling of combine harvesters. No longer will we need to raise twenty horses or mules for the purpose of pulling these massive devices. 

With our current technological capabilities this steam tractor can be produced relatively cheaply, and sold to farmers across our Kingdom, with the lack of resources going towards caring for the animals who currently act as our primary power source for agriculture, we will be able to lessen the cost of food, making it even more affordable than it currently is. 

<br/>Naturally, I intend to subsidize these Tractors so they are even more affordable for farmers to get hold of. This will ensure they are able to be rapidly employed in our fields, decreasing the cost of labor substantially."

It shocked Honoria to see how much effort Berengar put into increasing agricultural yields and decreasing the cost of food. After all, as far as Berengar was concerned, food should be plentiful and readily available to his citizens. 

Ultimately, Honoria realized Berengar was about to ask a favor of her, and thus she wore a pretty smile as she cut to the chase.

"So I'm guessing that you have a favor to ask of me?"

Berengar chuckled when he heard this before making his request.

"You understand me so well... Yes, I need you to lead an expedition of my marines into the region to secure a foothold in the mountains, and establish trade with the less hostile natives. I want a massive influx of potatoes into the fatherland so we can begin growing them across the realm.

Also, I am certain that potatoes are not the only valuable item in the region, so make sure that you bring back anything else you believe could be of value. It's a bold new world, filled with discoveries and resources we could only imagine, and I want it all to belong to Germany."

The Byzantine princess sighed as she heard this request. However, in the end, she nodded her head in agreement.

"Very well. I will do as you ask. However, after helping your men establish a colony in the region, I want your permission to do something that we should have done a long time ago..."

It surprised Berengar to hear that Honoria was making a demand of him, especially in such a cryptic way. He needed more information before he could agree to her request, thus he had no choice but to inquire further about the subject. 

"What exactly did you have in mind?"

Honoria's expression turned grim as she stared at her husband in silence. One could tell there was a certain amount of fury in the woman's pupils as her brows narrowed and her fists clenched. Whatever she was about to say was something of significant importance to the Byzantine Princess. 

"I want you to allow me to pursue justice for my God-father's murder. It has been years since my brother betrayed Arethas and slayed him in cold blood, and yet despite your promises, his death remains unanswered. Every day that Decentius still breathes is an insult to my Godfather's memory, and I must avenge him!"

Berengar frowned when he heard this, while he had promised to dig up evidence of Decentius' crimes. In truth, Austrian Intelligence, and Palladius' spy network were more concerned with the war for the Byzantine Throne than they were with avenging the fallen general. 

However, a promise was a promise, and Berengar was not the type of man to break such a sacred agreement. Thus, after careful consideration, he sighed heavily before nodding his head in approval.

"Very well, after you have ensured the establishment of my colony in the New World, I will permit you to seek justice for your murdered godfather. However, if you are to do so, you must do it in accordance with Byzantine law.

I can not afford to have you disrupt the balance of power in the East out of a thirst for vengeance. Promise me you will reveal Decentius' crimes, and leave his punishment for the crown to decide, and I will allow you to go back to your homeland to pursue your justice."

Honoria bit her lip as she heard her husband's restrictions. She wanted nothing more than to behead her brother herself, however she also knew the consequences such actions would have on international diplomacy. The Byzantine Princess forced herself to calm her inner fury as she sighed in defeat.

"Very well. If those are your conditions, then I will follow them. Just know that if my brother tries to claim my life once more while I investigate his crimes, then I will be forced to act in reprisal..."

Berengar nodded his head with a bitter smile on his face. He could agree to such terms, and thus sighed as he responded to his wife's contention.

"Let us hope it doesn't come to that..."

With this agreement made, Honoria had nothing left to say. Instead, she swiftly departed from the Office and began preparations for her next voyage to the New World.  As for Berengar, he collapsed back in his leather office chair and pulled out a gilded chalice. He carefully filled the cup with fortified wine before taking a long swig as he gazed at the map on his desk.

A smile spread itself across his face as he thought about the future. He already had a colony that was stable in North America on the coastline of New York. Now all he needed was one in Venezuela, and he could secure his foothold in both North and South America. 

As for his future colonial exploits, he would have to establish strongholds in the Caribbean and central America. However, it would not be so easy to make his way into the latter of the two mighty Empires ruled the regions, and some of them were quite bloodthirsty. 

If he were to contact the Aztec Empire, he would like to do so in person, thus he would have to do so at a later date, as he was much too busy preparing for his Unification War at the moment. With the expansion of his first colonies to the new world underway, and the wars to unite Germany on the horizon, it would appear that his plans for his future German Empire were progressing smoothly.

While he was overlooking these details, a knock resounded on his door, and a voice called out from the other side. It was a feminine voice that belonged to his second wife, Linde. She called out to her husband to ensure that he was not otherwise occupied.

"Master, are you busy? There are some things that I wish to discuss with you."

When Berengar heard this, he rolled up his maps before stashing them away within his desk's drawers. After doing so, he called out to the woman with an excited tone in his voice.

"I'm free. You may enter."

Upon hearing this, Linde smiled as she entered the room, shutting the door behind her. She gracefully walked over to the seat across from Berengar before sitting down. After doing this, she voiced her concerns over an important matter. 

"Our Agents have contacted the rebellious factions in northern Germany. There are plenty of people willing to fight against their feudal overlords and swear fealty to the Austrian Crown. Though in all honesty, the sentiment is one out of fear, rather than respect for your position. How should we proceed?"

Berengar tapped his desk repeatedly as he sought as he thought deeply about this question. After a few moments, he finally revealed his plan of action. 

"Arm the rebels with muskets and cannons, and dispatch our agents to rally loyalists against them. I want this conflict to be fierce, so that when I finally enter Northern Germany with my armies, the people will see me as a savior, rather than a conqueror. The German people will forever know the name Berengar von Kufstein as the father of Germany..."

Upon hearing these orders, Linde simply bowed her head with respect before responding.

"It will be done, your Majesty."

Having given his spymaster her orders, Berengar quickly dismissed the woman and turned his chair around to face the rising sun. A new dawn was rising in the west, and in the coming days, Berengar would lay the foundations for the German Empire.